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31:1  “I have made a covenant (agreement) with my eyes; How then could I gaze [lustfully] at a virgin?
31:2  “For what is the portion I would have from God above, And what heritage from the Almighty on high?
31:3  “Does not tragedy fall [justly] on the unjust And disaster to those who work wickedness?
31:4  “Does not God see my ways And count all my steps?
31:5  “If I have walked with falsehood, Or if my foot has chased after deceit,
31:6  Oh, let Him weigh me with accurate scales, And let God know my integrity.
31:7  “If my step has turned away from the way [of God], Or if my heart has [covetously] followed my eyes, Or if any spot [of guilt] has stained my hands,
31:8  Then let me plant and [let] another eat [from the results of my labor], And let my crops be uprooted and ruined.
31:9  “If my heart has been enticed and I was made a fool by a woman, Or if I have [covetously] lurked at my neighbor’s door [until his departure],
31:10  Let my wife grind [meal, like a bond slave] for another [man], And let others kneel down over her.
31:11  “For adultery is a heinous and lustful crime; Moreover, it would be a sin punishable by the judges.
31:12  “For it is a fire which consumes to Abaddon (destruction, ruin, final torment); And [illicit passion] would burn and rage and uproot all my [life’s] increase [destroying everything].
31:13  “If I have despised and rejected the claim of my male or female servants When they filed a complaint against me,
31:14  What then could I do when God arises [to judge me]? When He calls me to account, what will I answer Him?
31:15  “Did not He who made me in the womb make my servant, And did not the same One fashion us both in the womb?
31:16  “If I have withheld from the poor what they desired, Or have caused the eyes of the widow to look in vain [for relief],
31:17  Or have eaten my morsel [of food] alone, And did not share it with the orphan
31:18  (But from my youth the orphan grew up with me as with a father, And from my mother’s womb I have been the widow’s guide),
31:19  If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, Or any poor person without covering,
31:20  If his loins have not thanked and blessed me [for clothing them], And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
31:21  If I have lifted my hand against the orphan, Because I saw [that the judges would be] my help at the [council] gate,
31:22  Then let my shoulder fall away from its socket, And my arm be broken off at the elbow.
31:23  “For tragedy from God is a terror to me, And because of His majesty and exaltation I can do nothing [nor endure facing Him].
31:24  “If I have put my trust and confidence in gold, Or have declared fine gold my hope and assurance,
31:25  If I gloated and rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my [powerful] hand [alone] had obtained so much,
31:26  If I beheld the sun [as an object of worship] when it shone Or the moon going in its splendor,
31:27  And my heart became secretly enticed [by them], And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth [in respect to them],
31:28  This also would have been [a heinous] sin calling for judgment, For I would have denied God above.
31:29  “Have I rejoiced at the destruction of the enemy [who hated me], Or exulted [in malicious triumph] when evil overtook him?
31:30  “No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin By cursing my enemy and asking for his life.
31:31  “I assure you, the men of my tent have said, ‘Who can find one [in need] who has not been satisfied with his meat’?
31:32  “The stranger has not lodged in the street, Because I have opened my door to the traveler.
31:33  “Have I concealed my transgressions like Adam or like other men, By hiding my wickedness in my bosom,
31:34  Because I feared the great multitude, And the contempt of families terrified me, So that I kept silence and did not acknowledge my sin and did not go out of the door?
31:35  “Oh, that I had one to listen to me! Look, here is my signature (mark); Let the Almighty answer me! Let my adversary write out His indictment [and put His vague accusations in tangible form].
31:36  “Surely I would [proudly] bear it on my shoulder, And bind the scroll around my head like a crown.
31:37  “I would count out to Him the number of my steps [with every detail of my life], Approaching His presence as if I were a prince.
31:38  “For if my land has cried out against me, And its furrows weep together;
31:39  If I have eaten its fruits without paying for them, Or have caused its [rightful] owners to lose their lives,
31:40  Let thorns grow instead of wheat, And stinkweed and cockleburs instead of barley.” So the words of Job [with his friends] are finished.